Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault, to be sentenced Monday

A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London found the comedian and actor Russell Brand, 51, guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault on Thursday, November 5, after a four-week trial, according to the BBC and the Guardian. Both reported that the jury deliberated for about eight and a half hours. He was found not guilty of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Brand had pleaded not guilty to three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault involving six women, in allegations covering the decade from 1999. Earlier in the trial the BBC reported that, in police interviews between 2023 and 2025, he gave prepared statements saying he had never engaged in non-consensual activity.

The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, refused bail and remanded Brand in custody, telling him that a significant custodial term was inevitable after a conviction that included rape, the Guardian reported. Sentencing is due on Monday, November 9. The BBC and the Guardian also reported that police are investigating two further rape allegations against him, and the Metropolitan Police said its investigation "remains ongoing".

Separately, the High Court in London heard a two-day trial on October 27 and 28 over a bid by a well-known man, identified in court only as PPT, for a permanent injunction to stop the Guardian and ITN publishing allegations that he engaged in inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities with girls and young women. He denies the allegations. The Guardian, one of the sources for this report, is one of the two news organisations in the case.

PPT's legal team argued that publication would be "highly likely" to lead him to kill himself, and said his reaction would stem not from any wrongdoing but from fear of "trial by media". Lawyers for the Guardian and ITN said the risk could be mitigated and that there was no proper basis to restrain public-interest journalism.

Mr Justice Nicklin, who heard the case, warned against online speculation about PPT's identity, saying it had named several different individuals. When the hearing ended on October 28, he had retired to consider his ruling.